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When I bought my iPhone two weeks ago, I promised myself two things: One, I would not drown this phone in a pool of water (see forum post). Two, I would share with you all the casual game gems we find on the iPhone in our new feature, iPhone Fridays!
The iPhone has the potential to be the greatest thing to happen to casual games since the PC, the Wii, or dare I say it... even Gamezebo due to its attractively large screen, intuitive form factor, and unique “multi-touch” features.
My first iPhone Friday pick is Chimps Ahoy by Griptonite Games, and not just because it features my favorite animal of all time, chimpanzees.
Chimps Ahoy is a mix of Breakout and Pong with an iPhone twist. Like Breakout, you are bouncing a ball to remove bricks on the screen. Like Pong, you are bouncing the ball horizontally from left to right and back again to remove the bricks in the middle of the screen. You control the paddles (cute animated chimpanzee heads) by sliding your fingers up and down. When the ball/coconut passes by your paddles, you lose a life.
As you progress, you collect power ups, dodge cannonballs from pirate ships, and remove increasingly complicated brick patterns. The longer you play, the more Chimps Ahoy resembles an air hockey game where you playing both sides of the paddles. The game features cute animations, is highly addictive, and takes advantage of the iPhone’s unique features to put a new spin on the classic Breakout/Pong gameplay.
You can purchase the game for $4.99 at the iPhone Apps Store or play up to 7 levels within the the Lite version for free. Click here to learn more and view screen shots and click here to play the game (note: you’ll need an iPhone or iPod Touch to play the game).